Carton



Jan. 22, 1957 M. BUTTERFIELD CARTON Filed Jan. 19. 1955 IN VENTOR LMBuZZSrfieZd ATTORNE Y CARTON Louis M. Butterfield, Kittery, Maine Application January 19, 1955, Serial No. 482,833

3 Claims. (Cl. 22929) This invention relates to a novelcarton for use in the display and retail sale of food items and other items which may be readily broken, bruised or otherwise damaged by being handled. V i

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a carton of novel construction which may be inexpensively manufactured and which is accordingly intended to be disposable.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carton which will eflectively close and protect the contents thereof and which is readily separable into halves to provide two separate containers or cartons, each capable of completely enclosing its contents and which may be sold separately.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view showing the complete carton closed;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the closed carton, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan view, partly broken away, showing the carton open. 7

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the carton in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 5 and is adapted to be formed of cardboard or other inexpensive material and includes a base or bottom section, designated generally 6, which is elongated and of generally rectangular shape and which preferably includes twelve individual upwardly opening recesses or pockets 7 which are formed therein in any conventional manner, and which includes two corresponding longitudinal rows of said recesses or pockets 7. The individual pockets 7 each includes a bottom 8, as best seen in Figure 2, having an upwardly offset central portion 9 for cushioning an item supported thereon. Each pocket '7. includes surrounding walls 10 which extend upwardly in diverging relation to one another from the bottom 8. The walls 10 provide two ply spaced cushioning walls between adjacent cells or pockets 7. The bottom section 6 has side flanges 11 and end flanges 12. Said bottom section 6 has an elongated slot 13 extending through the top portions of adjacent walls 10 and between the longitudinal rows of recesses or cells 7. The slot 13 terminates adjacent the two end flanges 12.

The carton 5 includes two corresponding cover sections, each designated generally 14, and each including an outer longitudinal flange 15. Said flanges form integral extensions of the side flanges 11 and are joined thereto by weakened fold portions 16, on which the cover sections 14 hinge for swinging movement from closed positions above the two longitudinal halves of the bottom section 6, to open extended positions, substantially coplanar with and outwardly with respect to the base section 6. Said outer flanges 15 are disposed above and rest on the side flanges 11, as seen in Figure United States Patent 0 2, when the cover sections 14 are in closed positions. The cover sections 14 each includes an upwardly and inwardly inclined outer side wall 17 and upwardly and inwardly inclined end walls 18 and corners 19. The top sections 14 are provided with end flanges 20 and 21 which extend outwardly from the end walls 18 and corners 19, respectively, and which rest upon the end flanges 12 when the cover sections 14 are in closed positions, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. Each cover section has a substantially flat top wall 22, which is disposed a substantial distance above the bottom section 6 when the cover sections 14 are in closed positions. Each coversection 14 also has an inner side wall 23 which extends downwardly to the level of the flanges 20. Said inner side walls 23 are provided with integral extensions or tongues 24 each of which is of a length slightly less than the length of the slot 13. When the cover sections 14 are in closed positions, the inner side walls 23 are disposed in adjacent substantially parallel relation to one another as are the tongues 24, and said tongues extend downwardly into and through the slot 13 and terminate above and adjacent the level of the bottoms 8 of the cells 7. Thus, the two longitudinal halves of the carton 5 are separated by portions of the inner longitudinal walls It and by the inner side walls 23 and tongues 24. Further, the transverse walls 10 of the cells 7 combine with the cover sections 14 for separating the lower parts of the individual cells 7 of each longitudinal half of the bottom section 6. The carton 5 as illustrated is intended to contain a dozen eggs, not shown, one of which is contained within each of the cells 7 and in the portion of the closed cover section 14 disposed immediately thereabove. However, it will be apparent that the shape and size of the cells or recesses 7 may be varied to accommodate other articles such as various fruits packaged for retail sale. It will also be apparent that the number of cells or recesses 7 in each half of the bottom section 6 may obviously be varied and that the carton 5 may likewise vary in length and width.

The top walls 22 of the cover sections may be provided with elongated openings 25 through which the contents of the individual cells 7 may be viewed. Strips of transparent material 26 forming windows may be secured to the undersides of the top walls 22 for closing said openings 25 and the contents of the two carton halves may then be viewed through said windows 26 and the openings 25.

It will be noted that the two longitudinal halves of the closed carton 5 are joined only by the end portions 27 of the bottom section 6 which are disposed in alignment with the slot 13. Accordingly, said end portions may be cut or torn to divide the carton 5 into two longitudinal halves each having a cover 14 and which carton halves may be sold separately.

Thus, a carton 5 has been provided of extremely simple construction which may be very economically manufactured and sold, which will protect the contents thereof, which will permit inspection of the contents while completely enclosed in the carton, and which carton may be readily separated into longitudinal halves each having a hinged cover or closure.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A carton of the character described comprising a bottom section having a plurality of upwardly opening article containing recesses or cells including two aligned longitudinal rows of cells, said bottom section having longitudinal side flanges and being provided with a longitudinal slot disposed midway of said side flanges between the recesses or cells located adjacent each of said side flanges, and a pair of cover sections, said cover sections having outer side portions hingedly connected to said side flanges, said cover sections being disposed above longitudinal halves of the bottom section when in closed positions and including adjacently disposed inner side walls exending upwardly from said bottom section, said adjacently side walls having depending tongues ex ending downwardly through the slot of the bottom section for retaining the cover sections in closed positions for cooperating with said inner side walls to divide the carton into longitudinal halves, said slot extending to adiacent the ends of the bottom section and being disposed above the level of the bottoms of the cells, and said bottom section having end portions disposed in alignment with said slot and which are readily severable for dividing the carton into corresponding halves each provided with a cover.

2. A carton of the character described comprising an elongated bottom section having two longitudinally extending transversely spaced rows of upwardly opening article receiving cells having substantially coplanar bottoms, said carton including a pair of cover sections, said cover sections having remote outer edge portions hingedly conn ed to said longitudinal edges of the bottom section whereby said cover sections are swingable relatively to the bottom section outwardly and away from i one another from closed positions above the two longitudinal halves of the bottom section to open positions, said cover sections including inner adjacently disposed side walls extending upwardly from the bottom section, in the closed positions of said cover sections, for separating the carton into complementary longitudinal halves, said bottom section having a longitudinally extending medial portion extending from end to end thereof and disposed above the level of the cell bottoms, said medial portion having a slot extending substantially from end to end thereof, said inner walls of the cover sections having depending tongues extending downwardly through said slots for retaining the cover sections in closed positions.

3. A carton as in claim 2, and said medial portion having readily severable end portions disposed beyond the ends of and in alignment with said slot for dividing the car into longitudinal halves each having a hinged cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.19,)29 Sugerman Dec. 19, 1933 2,091,664 Walsh Aug. 31, 1937 2,382,202 Buttery Aug. 14, 1945 2,591,471 Schwertfeger Apr. 1, 1952 

